Pastor Wagner is sometimes misunderstood as a Calvinist by people on Youtube. He holds to the essence of what Calvinism is all about (particularly in regards to unconditional predestination). Unfortunately he denies the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints and even believes Saul went to heaven. He also claims to deny Irresistible Grace. The big error that he made in his video was making reprobation, double predestination and supralapsarianism equivalent. All three are different according to Calvinist scholars. And most Calvinist scholars would agree with pastor Wagner that God passes over the rest of fallen mankind and doesn't actively add sin or unbelief into their hearts. Equal Ultimacy (affirmed by Dr. Robert L. Reymond - see A New Systematic Theology pg. 345 or 360) is often confused with double predestination. Equal Ultimacy teaches that God equally (or symmetrically) and actively works in the hearts of the elect (unto faith and salvation) and the non-elect (unto unbelief and reprobation). Most Calvinist scholars would deem it unnecessary for God's decree of reprobation to be active since original sin, the flesh and Satan are already enough to lead all men towards hell: God doesn't need to add anything. In fact, common grace teaches that God restrains the evil in man so they're not as evil as they potentially could be. This contradicts Equal Ultimacy. John Calvin believed in common grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQgxxsKL-uc I think I forgot to address pastor Wagner's interpretation of Romans 9. In short, many Calvinists would have a very similar interpretation of it: God graciously and unconditionally choosing who will be saved from sinful humanity and passing over the rest, leaving them in their sin unto their own damnation. It's true that Paul doesn't specifically say "He" (God) prepared them for destruction (v.22). So it's debatable. Here are some of the quotes I used in this video: "Reprobation may be defined as that eternal decree of God whereby He has determined to pass some men by with the operations of His special grace, and to punish them for their sins, to the manifestation of His justice." Berkhorf, Systematic Theology, 116 “However, the term double predestination is not a helpful term because it gives the impression that both election and reprobation are carried out in the same way by God and have no essential differences between them, which is certainly not true. Therefore, the term double predestination is not generally used by Reformed theologians, though it is sometimes used to refer to Reformed teaching by those who criticize it.” – Grudem, Systematic Theology, 581 "Reprobation is the name given to God's eternal decision regarding those sinners whom He has not chosen for life. In not choosing them for life, God has determined not to change them. They will continue in sin, and finally will be judged for what they have done." - Reformation Study Bible "Election and Reprobation" (found in Romans 9:18) Also Grudem defines reprobation as: “Reprobation is the sovereign decision of God before creation to pass over some persons, in sorrow deciding not to save them, and to punish them for their sins, and thereby to manifest his justice.” - Grudem, Systematic Theology, 595 Sproul, Grudem and Berkhof each affirm reprobation but I don't think any of them affirm supralapsarianism. They all certainly reject Equal Ultimacy. Sproul called it sub-Calvinism and almost calls it hyper-Calvinism.

• published: 22 Nov 2015
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